By Brian Measday CA

1938

I was born in 1938 in Adelaide. Even in my early days my interest and concerns for the environment were evident. I remember catching a bus to go to school on a busy highway and thinking that for millions of years trees have dominated but now masses of cars reign supreme. The mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air must surely change – and it certainly has, in a big and scary way.

1943-55

During my school days, the environment received very little interest from politicians and the general public. The ‘greenie’ label was applied to anyone with a real interest in the environment, including me.

Climate change is, and always has been, a huge concern of mine – unless a lot of work is done, by many people, in the very near future, I fear the young people of today will face a bleak future in the years to come. So much can be done but, in fact, so little is being done at the federal level. Clean energy is the way to go but time is running out to achieve an acceptable result.

1956

When I left school at 17 years of age, I was accepted to study law at the University of Adelaide but decided to pin my hopes on being a CA. I joined a small CA firm in Adelaide as a junior clerk.

Things were very different in those days. On my first day in the CA office I was placed with others in a small room, given a small chair and desk, a pen of some sort, a pencil, a ruler, a rubber and a writing pad.

There were no calculators, no adding machines, no computers and no mobile phones. TVs had not yet been invented.

I had to deliver on foot client bankings to a range of banks from one side of Adelaide to the other. Even on the hottest of days a suit and tie had to be worn all day, every working day.

All journal entries (JE) had to be underlined by pencil with an explanatory narrative to explain the meaning of the JE. The two lines under each JE had to be straight and very visible. The ruler had lots of use.

Picture: Brian Measday's wedding in 1961.

1964

At age 26, I was sitting in my little office when I received a phone call from the CA branch in Adelaide. I’d passed the final accounting exam and had become a qualified CA. There was zero fanfare, no trumpets blowing; just me alone in the room feeling extremely relieved. It was a special moment – I will never forget that day.

“I’d passed the final accounting exam and had become a qualified CA. There was zero fanfare... It was a special moment – I will never forget that day.”

1964-98

Although I was wired to be a greenie from day one, I must admit my interest in the environment did wane a fair bit during my years in practice. I was extremely busy. The general public has little idea just how demanding the life of a practising CA really is. The statutory requirements of being a registered company auditor are mind-blowing. Life as a CA was never boring.

Picture: Brian Measday CA in 1977.

Picture: Brian Measday CA in 1989.

1998-2013

Upon retiring at 60, I joined Treenet Inc, an environmental not-for-profit in Adelaide. I was volunteer treasurer for 15 years. These were the best years of my life. I was like a pig in straw. In 1996, I invented the Greenwell Water Saver, which has won many awards and is now being used in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, the US and Canada. (I sold my rights to the product in 2018.) The website (greenwellwatersavers.com) tells the full story of the Greenwell invention – it’s a story of success.

Picture: Brian Measday CA in 2017.

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